


Insomniatic complications

by Hbsj



Series: Four Wizards series [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Healer Astoria Greengrass, Healing, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Insomnia, Insomniac Harry Potter, Magical Bond, Oracles, Past Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:15:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26634964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hbsj/pseuds/Hbsj
Summary: Insomnia is Harry Potter’s ever present problem. The Oracle said to find the one who could rectify him but who the hell could possibly fix him when healers, psychologists and everyone else had already tried? He'd even tried to shag it out of himself, to no avail. He just wanted some goddamn sleep.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom/Theodore Nott
Series: Four Wizards series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/988845
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion fic to Drastic measures, Excessive situations and Dire circumstances.  
> There are four fics in total and each fic follows one of the four wizards, Draco Malfoy, Theo Nott, Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini. This is a fluffy-ish take on this little AU I’ve created. The Draco/Hermione was very stripper-smutty, the Theo/Neville was drama-smutty, the Blaise/Ginny was dark-smutty. I currently have no plans of expanding this AU outside these four fics.  
> They can all be read separately but they are better in order to be honest, so don’t forget to read the other ones too! This is the final story, following Harry. It’s a four-part fic, it’s fully written and it begins directly after Blaise's story in Dire Circumstances.  
> It is not without its own kind of darkness but apart from my first fic, The carrot cake, this is probably one of the fluffiest stories I’ve written. However, it does deserve its M-rating in certain places.  
> Warnings: M-rating for language and smut.  
> I own nothing but the plot… Unfortunately.  
> I will update every Thursday for the coming weeks and I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> HBSJ

Harry sighed and considered himself in the bathroom mirror.

He wasn’t exactly a sight for sore eyes to say the least. He slept badly every night. No matter if he slept alone or next to someone.

It had started during their time on the run. The constant vigilance, the boredom and the frustrations at not getting anywhere with their quest had taken a serious toll on him.

The responsibilities too.

Sometimes he would just yell, scream and curse at nothing, imagining the belated headmaster of Hogwarts before him, for his secret keeping and for entrusting Harry to carry out such a monumental task basically on his own. While he was still a goddamn child!

The blue and red-ish skin under his eyes showed all too well what his problem was. Insomnia. Ever present, ever a problem and he hadn’t found a solution.

In general, he had a rather cheerful disposition but not having had a decent night’s sleep without a potion in years could sour a person to a rather violent degree.

He wouldn’t know what to do without his three closest mates, Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott and Draco Malfoy.

The fact that he now counted them as the best thing that had ever happened to him, sometimes baffled even himself. The wizarding world was still reeling over the fact that he and Ron barely spoke, which was utter bollocks. It wasn’t their business or their problem.

He and Ron had been closer than ever after the war but at some point Ron started spiralling and he had hurt Hermione in the process. The one person that Harry had left to consider as family.

It was surprisingly easy for him to take Hermione’s side in the fall-out and he hadn’t spoken to Ron since. She was the closest thing he had to a sister after all.

He sighed again, wondering why he was suddenly feeling so nostalgic when he noticed a brand new small scar on his nose.

He frowned, trying to figure out how he got it. His mind had turned hazy from lack of sleep for so long, so sometimes he forgot things.

A _lot_ of things.

Luckily, his auror-partner didn’t have that problem and together they were the most successful team in the entire office.

He peered at the scar again, trying to remember. A brief flash of memory pierced his mind and he winced. Ginny, in all of her returned former glory punching him and then berating him for what felt like an hour.

It probably hadn’t been that long but still, it had felt like it.

He grimaced when he remembered what he had to do today. He and Draco had been the first on site, so they had to do the paperwork, take statements and try to sort through any and all physical evidence at the scene.

Ginny had been through some crazy shite. Draco had given him a quick rundown of her injuries, old and new and he couldn’t even imagine anyone going through that and coming out alright in the end.

But she had. She and Blaise were now an item and from what Harry had seen, Blaise absolutely adored her and she adored him right back.

He smiled wistfully.

Good for them.

He would want that.

Probably.

If only he could find some way of getting some goddamn sleep.

He felt like he had tried everything. Mind-healers, muggle psychiatrists, acupuncture, yoga, pilates, breathing exercises. You name it and he had probably had at least one go at it.

In his desperation, he had even gone to see the Oracle in Delphi a few years back.

In the muggle world, the Oracle had stopped existing in the 4th century AD but in reality, she had just been hidden under many layers of enchantments created by the renowned Pythia, the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo herself.

Pythia had seen what the world was to become and had chosen to hide herself and her followers from those who would in time, seek to harm them.

To many’s surprise, she still lived to this day. There ran whispers about her throughout the magical communities that she was of actual divine descent. In her days, the Greek Gods roamed the earth, so Harry thought that it wasn’t an entirely impossible deduction.

It had taken him weeks to find the site but he had followed all of their rather difficult directions before he finally got there.

It was strange, not seeing a face. But he reckoned that if she was thousands of years old, he probably wouldn’t want to show his face to the world either.

And then he finally got his answer from her: _“Find the one who can rectify you, mind, body and soul. They will guide you on your path, making you whole. Where they reside, you must rest.”_

He had gone from the place none the wiser. Her riddle was confusing and not very illuminating either.

He hadn’t thought of her prophecy for years now so why it popped up now was lost on him.

He had to get out of his stupor and get to work. Automatically, he took a shower, got dressed and took his floo to the ministry, only to be met by an infuriating smirk from his blonde partner. “Jeez, look what the cat dragged in. You look like shite Harry.”

Harry just rolled his eyes and shook his head at Draco’s antics. “Well good-fucking-morning to you too you arse. Why the fuck are you so bleeding cheerful this early in the morning?”

Draco just grinned. “I have spent the entire night literally-“

Harry covered his ears theatrically and made a face. “Ugh, NO! Stop! I don’t want to hear what you and Hermione have spent the night doing, alright!? She basically my fucking sister!”

Draco waved him away with a wink. “Oh you fucking spoilsport. The best part is making you so uncomfortable.”

“Really? The _best_ part?” Harry winced at his own stupid question. His default snarky response had opened up a literal can of worms in the shape of Draco’s sudden gleefully evil expression.

The glint in Draco’s eyes was the only warning Harry got. “Oh fuck no mate. The very best part was when Hermione showed me this new flexible position from yoga. You see-“

Harry cringed. He may be happy for them but he did _not_ want to know any of the gory details. He held up his hands and sighed. “Just shut the fuck up and let’s get to work on this case regarding Ginny.”

Draco’s gleeful expression changed immediately and he frowned. “It’s not good mate. Are you sure I shouldn’t work with someone else on this?

Harry nodded determinately. “I want to help her. _We_ can help her get through whatever she has been subjected to.”

Draco merely shrugged. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He handed him a folder. “This is Ginny’s deposition from yesterday after she was treated by Astoria at the hospital.”

Harry blinked.

Right. Astoria.

 _Astoria Greengrass_.

She had been the one who had fixed his face after Ginny had violently broken his nose. She was a healer. He blinked a few times as he remembered the feeling of her magic caressing him, because that had been what it was like. A gentle caress along with a sudden lurch in his stomach. Like something pulling at him.

The feeling of her magic had been fleeting but glorious.

He wondered briefly how he could have forgotten it but it was the problem with insomnia. He didn’t choose what bits to remember and what bits to forget.

Unlike those many times he had been injured before, the healing from other healers had felt wrong. It had felt almost like an invasion to his magic but he had always held himself rigidly still, knowing that they were just doing their jobs and patching him up.

He shook his head, trying to focus on the folder on his desk.

Right. Ginny.

He took a deep breath and opened the folder.

* * *

He had read it all an hour later.

And to his revulsion, it had basically been a horror-story.

This document could possibly result in multiple arrests and charges to some of the most prominent figures in the British wizarding society. All pureblood and all of them absolute bastards according to her testimony.

Suddenly, the reasons for her initial dislike of Draco, a prominent pureblood figure of society, seemed rather apparent.

Harry began making notes of everyone they needed to talk to, of all of the people they needed to question and he even began a tentative plan of how to deal with the press on this. Because he knew in his bones that the press would swarm this case.

He turned to Draco and they began discussing the best way to move forward. Ginny had provided memories of every vile detail described in the folder and both he and Draco knew that they would be able to convict many of these men.

Their cruelty was well known but with the aurors having unable to prove anything before this, they hadn’t been able to charge them.

As their discussion continued, the case grew in size.

Harry suddenly realized something and looked up sharply. “What if there’s more?”

Draco just gave him a puzzled glare. The man hated when he didn’t understand the strange intricate workings of Harry’s insomniac mind.

Harry continued. “Well, what if they did this to more women? We have more than enough to charge all of them but what if more women come forward? How do we handle it?”

Draco thought about it for literally two seconds. “Hermione. We need Magical Law on this too.”

Harry agreed and fifteen minutes later the three of them were deep in discussion about how to handle the case. In Harry’s mind it took forever but both Hermione and Draco were alight with interest as the discussion bounced back and forth between them.

He envied their relationship. The way they had found their other half.

It hadn’t been easy for them and it had finally happened with some not-so-gentle nudging from Theo, but now they were inseparable.

He re-focused on the discussion at hand.

The crucial point, in Hermione’s opinion, was to make an iron-clad case.

To make sure that there was no shred of doubt and that Ginny would only have to go through all of this once.

The second point was to deal with the press, the inevitable ensuing scandal the charges would cause and the possibilities of more cases against the men. That had been Harry’s ideas. And both Hermione and Draco agreed. He was rather proud of that.

The third was to protect Ginny as best they could from it all. She may be strong but a large part of the wizarding world would look down on her for the choices she had made in her life.

Harry winced mentally because at one point, he had been doing just that, not knowing what she was going through. Again, Harry was eminently happy that Ginny and Blaise had found each other.

They worked and planned for hours before taking everything to a joint meeting between the Head Auror, the Head of Magical Law and the Minister where they presented their findings and their solutions to the possible problems this case may cause.

Everything was approved after hours of discussions and between the three of them, Hermione was chosen to deliver the news to Ginny. She disappeared in the ministry floo well after eight in the evening and Draco turned to Harry. “Fancy a pint?”

Harry smiled and nodded tiredly. A pint at the Leaky Cauldron and then home to bed, it had been a long fucking day.

If only he could sleep.

How he sometimes wished that sleep would take him so he didn’t have so much time to think.

And his thoughts were so muddled. They’d been like that for years.

Draco sometimes covered for him at work but Harry felt bad. He needed to find a solution and fast. Otherwise he would have to quit his job just to spare Draco all of the covering up. It was embarrassing that it had come this far but no one could help him, it would seem. Not even a damn Oracle.

_Fuck!_

He couldn’t keep going on like this.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos, it's so appreciated!  
> Now onto the story.  
> HBSJ

Astoria Greengrass was a notoriously put-together young woman.

She could never be shaken, she was always well-groomed and she never looked anything but immaculate when in public.

Even when she was alone in her own flat, she would never deign to dress down because what if someone happened to drop by?

That also meant that she exerted very tight control over her feelings. At least, most of the time.

Having grown up in the kind of household she had and being one of the few Queen Bee's in Slytherin House at Hogwarts, she had learned how to master herself. To control every reaction to a surprising number of varied events.

When she was four years old, she and her sister had started practicing ballet, a muggle sort of dance. Her mother had scoured the country and had found a half-blood prima ballerina and then promptly paid for lessens for both her daughters for three years.

Her father had not been pleased but her mother had basically told him to stuff it. It was the most graceful of dances and that grace would carry with them for life.

It was true. It had.

Which also meant that both she and her elder sister Daphne had been considered completely unattainable in Hogwarts by most of the wizards because of the way they carried themselves with such effortlessly graceful control.

It had been both satisfactory to attain what she had wanted but also very lonely. Dates had been few and far between and she didn't really have any friends apart from her sister.

However, during her brief engagement to Draco, she had also witnessed his transformation and for the first time in her life, she questioned that very control that had always been so intricately bound to the way she led her life.

Could control actually hinder her way to happiness?

Draco's certainly had and the moment he had been able to let go, he had captured the woman he had been pining for.

Astoria felt the same about someone.

Her parents would _never_ approve, so she had put him from her mind. Even though he had never actually left her mind.

She had felt that way for years actually but she hadn't told a soul about it.

Not even her sister.

* * *

_One night, years ago, in Hogwarts, Astoria had been unable to sleep. She had gotten out of bed and roamed the castle at night._

_It was during her sixth year, only a couple of months after the war had ended._

_Everyone she knew were still haunted by nightmares, so many chose to just stay awake most nights._

_That particular evening the castle was quiet and the only sound was her own shuffling feet swathed in fluffy warm slippers as she walked up the stairs and down the halls._

_Without really thinking about it, she ended up in the Astronomy Tower. She just wanted some fresh air and a great view. But someone else was there too._

_A young man was huddled on a stone bench by the window, looking tiredly out into the night. He wasn't moving or anything._

_He was just sitting there watching the stars pass over the sky._

_Astoria wondered what his deal was. Why was he there? Or better yet, who was he?_

_Well, she wouldn't be discouraged by anyone, so she put on her most welcoming smile and walked slowly forward._

_As soon as he heard her, he instantly spun around with his wand pointing straight at her heart._

_She didn't flinch, she just smiled at him. Waiting for him to realize his mistake._

_He blinked a couple of times and took in her lithe form. It was magnificent if she'd ever say so herself. Which she wouldn't, of course. At least not out loud. She had curves in all the right places and a narrow waist. Yet she wasn't skinny, she would never wish to be skinny._

_His bloodshot eyes warmed slightly at the sight of her and he put his wand away immediately. "I… I'm sorry. Force of habit."_

_She smiled a fraction wider. "No need to apologize, I know who you are." Because there was no doubt that she was standing in front of Harry Potter._

_She sat down beside him, though at a respectable distance._

_He grimaced but his face softened again as he kept watching her closely. "I'm sorry, but I have no clue who you are."_

_"_ _I am Astoria Greengrass, sixth year in Slytherin." She pulled herself away from his haunted face to look out into the grounds. "Though you may not want to speak more with me now. I also know how you feel about Slytherins."_

_She turned her face back to him, waiting again. She had kept any accusation from the tone of her voice, the way he had felt about Slytherins wasn't all wrong after all._

_"_ _No, I don't think like that anymore." He pulled a face again. "Let's just say that Snape has taught me a valuable lesson, even after he died."_

_She blinked a couple of times, she had been very fond of their former head of Slytherin house. She cleared her throat unsuccessfully. "I heard you were there when he died."_

_He clenched his teeth. "Yeah, I was."_

_She didn't want to talk about Professor Snape because she usually would shy away from such deep topics with relative strangers. Though everyone knew who Harry Potter was. But she couldn't bring herself to continue the conversation about the professor._

_There were other things that weren't much talked of in her common room too. "Are you having trouble sleeping too?"_

_He nodded, looking pensively at her. "Why are you having trouble sleeping? I thought you and the rest of the women in Slytherin had been protected from most of the horrors of the war."_

_She sighed. "We probably were. Most of the time. We never lacked a place to sleep and we were mostly safe."_

_He stared at her with those green eyes, giving her his absolute attention. "Mostly?"_

_She gulped, her control slipping for the first time since returning to school. But he had sort of opened up, so it was only right that she told him. "We had regular visitors. My mother and father entertained almost every night and sometimes, some of their company would mistakenly think that me and my sister were there for_ their _entertainment." She shuddered._

_"_ _Nothing ever happened, but with a father in with the Dark Lord, despite his lack of a Dark Mark, we were sometimes forced to watch whatever they deemed fit."_

_He gave her a weak smile. "I guess it broke us all, huh?"_

_She shrugged delicately. "Probably."_

_He groaned and rubbed his temples. "You know,-" she said. "-maybe I can help you with that. I am told that I have an aptitude for healing magic."_

_He chuckled once but it had a hard edge to it. "I guess I have nothing to lose at this point. Even Madam Pomfrey couldn't help me." Without saying anything, he suddenly flipped over and put his head in her lap. "Well, I'm all yours, give me your best shot."_

_She took a deep breath and placed both her hands on the sides of his head. She could feel his magic thrumming in his body, he was extremely powerful and his magic felt unruly, as if it could lash out at any moment._

_She hummed as her healing magic tentatively stretched into his mind and deep into his magical core, weaving a subtle thread through his mind, connecting it again where it was frayed and soothing his mental aches._

_His magic accepted hers, caressed it even. It made her more confident in her own abilities. Somehow, her magic was soothing his and she didn't know what to make of it._

_She was lost in the feeling of it._

_The magnificence._

_She had never experienced anything like it._

_But it was strange to, as if their magic melded in a way and she didn't know what to make of it._

_After the short session, he opened his eyes tentatively and blinked rapidly. He looked different. He sat up and she waited with baited breath. What if she had further damaged the Chosen One?_

_"_ _My headache's gone." He looked completely flabbergasted. "It's gone. Thank you! How did you do that?"_

_She smiled, probably her first real smile since their strange conversation began. "I'm not sure. I've just always had a knack for healing." But it could be more. She didn't know why but she already missed him and he was right there._

_Strange._

_Unaware of her confusion, he grinned happily and it suited him eminently. "Thank you!" And then he hugged her._

_Actually gave her a_ hug _. No one had ever done that before apart from her sister._

_As swiftly as it had happened, he stepped back and then he was gone._

_He ran down the stairs. Away from her._

_As if nothing had happened._

_She had spent the entire night watching the stars._

_She'd never met another like him and she was sure she'd never have a conversation with him again._

_After that, he smiled at her in the hallways sometimes but they didn't speak again for the rest of the year. She saw him dote on his Gryffindor girlfriend and decided to put him from her mind._

_Though she never told anyone that she had met him, every night she couldn't sleep she had ventured up to the tower in the hopes of maybe seeing him again._

_She never did._

* * *

Of course, the trouble was that her memory was excellent and the logic side of her had long since compartmentalized their brief meeting.

But her feelings couldn't let go.

The way that their magic just meshed so seamlessly was truly spectacular. And if he hadn't felt it, he must have been very detached from his magic at that point in time.

She shook her head, none of this reminiscing would get her anywhere. So she took a breath, straightened her back and got back to work.

* * *

Harry was standing outside of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, looking at the dilapidated clothing store that was the muggle front.

He had spoken to many people that day and the next on his list was Astoria Greengrass, healer in training.

A memory was just on the cusp of his mind, trying to gain entry. Something about her rang a bell that seemed important somehow.

But it was elusive, as if it was buried just beneath an expanse of water, far away from him. He shook his head to focus.

He walked through to the lobby after being admitted and made his way to her office as directed.

She was there, alone, working on something.

He could see liquid swirling in her test tubes and jars standing all around her office. It almost looked like memories, only more bright and sparkling somehow with a subtle golden tone.

He took a moment to observe her unguarded.

She was extraordinarily beautiful. It was almost surreal. The bright golden swirls around her made her look ethereal even.

He suddenly felt a lurch in his stomach, pulling him towards her and in the same moment, her hands stilled on pipette.

Neither of them made a sound but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He had never felt anything like it. Well, that he could remember anyway. But his memory tingled again.

He announced his arrival by clearing his throat.

Only then did she move. She carefully emptied the pipette into a vial, placed it on her desk and turned slowly around in her chair.

He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Her brilliant violet eyes focused on him with an intensity he hadn't experienced before. And her lips curved into a slight but incredibly intriguing smile.

"Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" Her soothing voice echoed deep within him and he frowned, unsettled by the feelings that suddenly surged to his chest.

He cleared his throat again in an effort to clear his suddenly foggy mind. "Well, I'm investigating Ginny's, I mean, miss Weasley's case and you were the examining healer."

She nodded. "I have been treating Ginny for the past couple of months."

His brows shot up of their own accord. "Really? As a healer in training you're allowed to have your own patients?"

She pursed her lips ever so slightly. He knew it was to express her disapproval of his rude question but he couldn't focus on that.

He could only focus on those lips and try desperately to stamp out that insatiable urge to kiss them and nibble on her bottom lip. His mind went straight to the gutter, making his cock twitch and he tried with every ounce of his might to stop it. And that weird pull was still there.

Her answer however, was razor sharp. "Well mr. Potter, as a healer in training, the very point is for us to get _training_. With our own patients we are able to get just that. If any complications arise, we're to contact our supervisor."

He almost flinched at her reprimand but stood his ground. "I apologize miss Greengrass, but it is relevant to the case at hand."

Her enticing lips were still pursed in disapproval but she kept silent, so he opted to continue. "What has been your understanding of her injuries yesterday?"

She stayed utterly professional and he, well he was having a damned hard time concentrating. "They were grave to say the least. But only her physical injuries. I have never seen her so mentally healthy in the time I have been her healer."

He almost winced, remembering her violently breaking his nose. "And how long have you been her healer exactly?"

She paused, trying to recall. "I will have to check my records, but it has been some months."

"And has miss Weasley been here on several occasions?" He continued but in reality he was staring at her. It felt as though his eyes had just been opened.

"Many occasions. She usually blamed it on her training with the Harpies but I was well aware when her injuries were of a different kind. From a different source so to speak." He blinked. Why hadn't she reported them then?

* * *

Astoria was watching him closely, noticing all of the small signs that he wasn't well.

His eyes were bloodshot and the skin underneath his eyes looked dark, almost like a bruise. His skin looked ashen and his face was drawn. He looked tired. Bone-dead tired.

She noticed a slight shake of his hand when he took notes and the almost compulsive tap of his foot. She was certain that he didn't even know how obvious it was to an observer that he was suffering. She couldn't be sure but he definitely wasn't getting enough sleep.

His next question came as no surprise. "Is there a reason why you haven't reported her injuries to the authorities?"

He lips turned into a wry, mocking smile of their own accord. Oh, the pitiful laws of their world. "And prey, who should I have reported them to mr. Potter? Ginny knew very well where she got the injuries and she is an adult. There are no laws in wizarding Britain regarding any sort of domestic abuse. I have offered her assistance on many occasions but she refused me every time. In the end, I knew it wasn't my place to pry into her private life as her healer."

He nodded but he seemed contrite somehow. "Thank you. Lastly, in your professional opinion, how does her latest injuries differ from her earlier ones?"

"I have already submitted my official report to you." She tried to avert her eyes from him. He was too compelling with those large green eyes.

But he wouldn't relent. "I would like to hear it from you. Please."

She looked up and whatever he did with those eyes worked. "She was assaulted and attempted raped by four men. That has never happened before. The gravity of the situation she was in isn't lost on anyone, I'm sure. I thank whatever deities there are that her she had regained her magic to fight them off."

She couldn't take her eyes off his. It was like a magnet. A pull from somewhere deep inside her.

They were both silent and she wondered if he noticed it.

None of them moved. They just were. And they looked at each other.

But nothing happened. Yet she couldn't ignore the pull. She wanted to get up, to go to him, to touch him.

After maybe a few seconds or minutes, she couldn't tell, he blinked, breaking their trance.

He nodded once. "Thank you for your time miss Greengrass." And the he left, just like that.

It was strange really, the way that he just seemed to ignore whatever it was that passed between them. As if it was nothing.

She was certain that it was much more than nothing. In fact, she _knew_ somehow that it was very special. Something to cherish.

The same as the first time.

Their magic recognized its perfect counterpart and tried to pull them towards it.


	3. Part 3

Harry couldn’t sleep.

 _Again_.

He was sitting in his living room, staring out at nothing, with a tumbler of firewhiskey in one hand and a fresh bottle in the other.

It was the middle of the night and he was fucking tired. No news there.

He didn’t want to go out as he had before. He didn’t want to do much really.

Except to seek out _her_. It was as if a switch in his brain had been turned on again. A switch he hadn’t even known was there. But it was still too muddled.

He knew her somehow.

The memory was just out of his reach, pounding on his brain to get in. If only he could get some fucking sleep and clear his mind.

He grumbled to himself and ground his teeth in frustration. He took a swig of the tumbler and emptied it.

Everyone thought that being The Chosen One made your life perfect. Brilliant. Enviable.

It didn’t.

Sure, he’d had endless stream of witches and wizards vying for a place in his bed but none of them knew him.

None of them knew even a smidgen of how broken he was.

Of how volatile his magic could be if he pushed it. Or when he got a bit of sleep. He’d lost a lot of furniture when he passed out.

He took another sip directly from the freshly opened bottle. Or was it a swig? And where was that damned tumbler anyway? He shrugged because he actually didn’t give a fuck.

He could only ever be himself around his best friends and thankfully, they still wanted his grumpy arse around, despite them all being blissfully happy and settled.

He had harmed them all more than once in a drunken stupor with his magic lashing out for no seeming reason and they’d all laughed it off, healing each other with grins on their faces and no harm done.

He was so lucky to have them and fortunate that they accepted all of him. Even his insane magic that he couldn’t seem to control anymore.

He took another swig of the bottle.

Oh well, it was all a bit of a laugh wasn’t it. The Chosen One who couldn’t even manage a summoning charm without blowing something up.

Fucking hell, he was turning into Seamus. He chuckled numbly.

His floo lit up in green flames just as the firewhiskey begin to really take its effect. He wondered if he was going cross-eyed because suddenly he had two fireplaces.

Hermione stepped out with a frown. What the hell? There were _two_ frowning Hermiones. That was two too many in his personal opinion. A frowning Hermione always meant that he’d fucked up somehow.

“Harry? What the hell are you doing? You told me you handled this whole sleeping-issue months ago!” Her voice was shrill, he noted dully and not caring in the slightest. He took another swig and surprisingly, the bottle was already empty.

His body didn’t want to cooperate with the orders his mind sent out. He tried to sit up straighter but he only managed to loll his head over to the side.

The mouth of the two Hermiones tuned into flat lines. “That’s it Harry. I’m having you to checked again.”

She waved her wand and then he was floating along without a care in the world. She really was the only person he’d ever considered a sibling but she could be rather annoying at times. Luckily, he couldn’t even hear what she was saying. Her voice sounded like it came from very far away. It felt nice just to float.

She kept on talking about something or other but he couldn’t listen anymore. He was falling under and he welcomed the bliss of sleep. 

And then everything went black.

* * *

Astoria was surprised to see the lovely otter patronus floating through the walls of her modest town flat.

She almost reached out and touched it but there was nothing to touch. She knew it was nothing but light, a magnificent mist taking shape purely by magical means but that didn’t make it any less beautiful.

It spoke in a familiar female voice. “Astoria, please come check on Harry. He’s at mine and Draco’s flat.” It hesitated before continuing in Hermione Granger’s voice. “I’m sorry. I don’t know who else to ask and Draco specifically recommended you.”

The corporeal mist vanished softly and Astoria sighed.

Her heart almost couldn’t bear it.

Harry wasn’t aware of their connection. He wasn’t even aware of her.

She, who had been wanted by almost every Hogwarts male in her year and all the years around theirs. But never by him.

She couldn’t believe that this was happening. She wanted to stomp her feet in frustration but she didn’t actually do anything as unladylike as that, even in private.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself. She had taken an oath to help people heal and she knew she could heal him properly.

It would take time but she knew that she could help him.

If only he and his magic would let her.

* * *

The healing session began simply.

Harry Potter was out cold from having drunk more than a bottle of firewhiskey all by himself, so there was no way that he could refuse her healing.

He was unconscious while she began her work.

They were alone in a guest chamber and Astoria knew perfectly well that Hermione Granger was pacing on the other side of the door.

It was strange. It should bother her that she was in the flat that was supposed to be hers. It was the flat that she and Draco had spotted just weeks before ending their engagement, much to both of their satisfactions, but that didn’t change the fact that she had been here with Draco the first time he saw it. With their relationship, she was certain that Hermione already knew.

Her relationship with Draco had always been more like brother and sister instead of a betrothed couple. That didn’t make it any less strange for Astoria to be here of all places.

Now, her relationship with Draco was cordial. It had even been Draco who had suggested to Hermione that Astoria might be able to help Harry.

He knew about her research. In fact, his company funded a large part of it. She met with Blaise twice annually to go over her findings and her plans for further progress.

And still, Hermione paced back and forth outside the room.

However, that wasn’t what Astoria was focused on.

She was entirely focused on the Boy Who Lived, who was currently lying on the transfigured hospital cot that used to be a double guest bed.

He twitched in his unconsciousness, his head turning this way and that and his jaw flexed over and over. He seemed agitated, as if he wasn’t supposed to be asleep.

She observed him for a few moments.

His magic was filling up every possible crevice of the room, agitated, just like the man himself. It lashed out, breaking a vase by the window and a lamp by the bed. She watched him, transfixed, as he shuddered and jerked on the cot.

She tried to bury her feelings for him because she needed her wits about her. She wasn’t afraid of him but his magic felt far darker than she remembered from school. Much more volatile.

That was interesting.

And yet, despite all of that, she found that she _wanted_ her magic to interact with his again. It had been so long and even now, watching his magic break a chair by the wall, she wanted to experience it again.

Undeterred by the chaos he seemed to create unconsciously, she sat by his head and placed both her hands at his temples. His eyes were closed but they kept twitching. She had to hold on to his head with some force to keep him still. She closed her own eyes to concentrate.

As she fixated all of her capabilities on her healing magic, she began reaching out to his tentatively. It had dark edges and it twitched restlessly, just like he did.

The moment their magic met and began to intermingle hesitantly, his twitching ceased and he seemed to relax into her touch with a slight sigh.

That was the moment the magic began, for lack of a better word.

His magic cradled hers hungrily as if it had been starved for years. It caressed her magic lovingly and even reached into her own core to calm it. As if to apologize for the breakage around the room.

It felt so strange. It seemed like their magic were speaking of sorts? She couldn’t describe it.

She took her time, working unhurriedly through his magic and tried to assess where she needed to focus her efforts.

She opened her eyes. Around them, little golden swirls were dancing around joyfully, as though they had been waiting for just this moment. It was absolutely wonderful.

Despite the beauty around them, Astoria didn’t pause, there was a lot of work to done with him.

He was damaged beyond belief.

Harry had obviously rejected any treatment he had been given and the forceful rejection had damaged his magical core a little more each time. She worked her way patiently through his mind and his magic, soothing it all the time to ensure that she wouldn’t cause further damage to him.

She almost flinched when she reached his core and found all of the fissures and gaps. It was so damaged that it was astonishing that he could still do magic. There were scars everywhere.

She had never encountered core damage of this magnitude.

Thankfully, his magic didn’t reject her. It did the opposite. It welcomed the interference of her healing magic into his core. It was obvious that his magic was incredibly powerful but it was also very willing to help, to assist her however it could. She smiled and got to work.

She focused on the smaller fissures, healing whatever she could and bound the larger magical wounds in bandages of sorts as detailed as she could. It would take a long time for him to properly heal but she wasn’t deterred. If he was willing, she would help him.

She would always help him with anything he needed.

Now, having her own magic intermingled with his for more than the five minutes at Hogwarts, she _knew_.

He was it for her.

She would never find anyone as suited to her, despite her not actually knowing him. But she knew enough about magical cores to be certain.

Draco and Hermione were happy and their cores matched each other. So did Neville’s and Theo’s. She hadn’t had a chance to see about Ginny and Blaise yet, but she would bet everything that they matched too.

Cores had a way of recognizing a good match but a match wasn’t unique as such. They had still _chosen_ to be together and if they wished, they could choose _not_ to be together.

Astoria didn’t have a choice anymore because her core didn’t just match with Harry’s.

Their cores had begun to bond.

Harry’s core seemed to have been starved of her magic because the bond had begun when they were still in school.

It seemed that his magic had become unstable after the war and after school that instability had only increased, unlike hers. She briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she clearly remembered their encounter in school. It was a new intriguing path of research.

She looked down at his face and surprisingly, he was awake. His eyes were boring into hers and she couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to look away.

He was _everything_.

They stayed like that for maybe half an hour or it could have been three hours for that matter. They were just watching each other with wonder while she kept working on his magical core. Healing it as much as she could.

His eyes were filled with curiosity, as if he was seeing her for the very first time, which he probably was. She watched his familiar eyes with endless interest of her own.

It felt so beautifully spectacular and the golden swirls were still dancing merrily around them when the door suddenly swung open.

Two gasps echoed in the silent room and for the first time, Astoria looked away from him. She didn’t want to but she felt that common curtesy demanded that she acknowledge the two people by the door.

Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, largely acclaimed as some of the most brilliant minds of their age, were standing in the doorway with matching gobsmacked expressions.

Hermione was the first to speak. Her voice seemed as though it came from far away. Astoria’s magic was still at work deep in Harry’s core. “A bond.” Her voice was breathy and her eyes were round with awe.

Astoria wanted to grin at them but she didn’t have time. There was still a lot of work to do and magical healing couldn’t be rushed. She wouldn’t be finished today by a long shot, but she would begin the work of making him better.

Draco and Hermione sat down by the wall beside the broken chair, watching her work silently. It was odd really. The Chosen One, The Golden Girl, The Villain and his ex-fiancée all in the same room. It sounded like an old muggle film.

It took another hour of work and usually it would be taxing for her to spend so long healing but with him, it felt as easy as breathing. She healed him slowly and his magic kept on caressing hers in turn, making sure she wouldn’t get too exhausted.

When she finally finished up, Draco was the first to speak. “Right. Perhaps we all need to talk, yeah?” They all nodded and Harry sat up slowly, cricking his neck and flexing his fingers as if he’d been working out. It would probably feel like that to him.

Draco looked between her and Harry with a slight frown. “Tori, come to lunch tomorrow and we’ll figure all of this out. I think we all need to sleep first.”

She looked out of the window for the first time. The first rays of sunlight were streaming over the edge of the city-scape.

It was morning. She smiled at Draco, then Hermione, saving Harry for last. “I’ll see you later then.”

* * *

He heard the whoosh of the floo and he couldn’t believe she would just leave like that.

Without even talking to him.

She had opened his eyes and his mind completely and it was almost dizzying in its vertigo-esque intensity.

She was it. The one the Oracle had spoken of.

He just _knew_ it.

How and why she seemed utterly oblivious to that fact was beyond him. All that he knew was that he desperately needed her in his life.

But he didn’t even know her.

He remembered now. That time in Hogwarts in the Astronomy Tower. She was the one who had healed him and he’d completely forgotten. She was the reason he had gotten some sleep back them, sparse as it had been.

He wanted to curse himself. What an utter pillock he’d been.

And then she’d just left him standing there like the tosser he was. He couldn’t blame her now that he thought about it.

His spiralling was interrupted however, and he remembered that he wasn’t alone.

“Are you alright Harry?” It was Hermione, she was scrutinizing him carefully. Draco stood in the doorway, watching him too.

He smiled, suddenly self-conscious. “I feel better than I have in years to be honest. Why?”

Hermione rolled her eyes, as if he was missing something crucial. It forcibly reminded him of school. “That was a magical bond Harry. Your cores have begun the bonding process”

His smile widened, he probably looked rather goofy. “I don’t mind that. She is rather amazing, isn’t she?”

From the doorway he registered a snort and chuckle. And of course Draco couldn’t keep quiet. “Snap the fuck out of it Potter, it’s seven in the morning. Both of you, get some sleep. We’ll deal with this later.”

Hermione turned to him with a hand on her hip. “Don’t you boss me around, Draco Malfoy.”

He smirked and winked. “I’ll make it worth your while, witch.”

And then, much to his surprise, Hermione giggled. Actually _giggled_ and left the room with Draco. He would never understand their dynamic but then again, it wasn’t for him to understand. As long as they were both happy, he was happy for them.

He just hoped to bloody Merlin that Draco would stop trying to embarrass him by divulging some of the details about their sexual exploits. He did _not_ need that kind of information about the woman he considered a sister.

Which meant that Harry was alone with his thoughts.

They weren’t disjointed anymore. Or foggy. And he felt tired. Bone-dead tired.

He ought to think this through before going to sleep.

He couldn’t get Astoria out of his head. He reckoned he would be dreaming of her. He had missed dreaming and he couldn’t think of anything better than dreaming of her.

The bed had been returned to its original state and it looked so inviting, he couldn’t help but lay down. He ought to get to know her. Take her for a coffee or something.

And finally, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	4. Part 4

The dream felt so real.

She knew it was a dream because he was right there with her.

She wasn't sure how but they were both naked and it made the delight of the dream even better.

Astoria was in her bed and her shoulder was being peppered with kisses by the man of her dreams. They were spooning, his arms were around her and she could feel his evident arousal boring into her backside.

She had never felt safer in her life.

His delightfully male scent was surrounding her, encompassing all of her. Her heart was thrumming in her chest and she burrowed happily further into his warmth.

This had a very interesting effect on him, making him first stiffen and then curl himself around her, grinding his erection softly into her bottom. She guessed he was trying to be subtle.

His fingers were lazily travelling up and down her side, caressing her. She couldn't stop the shivers coursing through her at his gentle touch.

It seemed to be the catalyst for him because he sighed contentedly. "I am dreaming of you." He said it so matter-of-factly that she almost shuddered.

It was true. It _was_ a dream. And she didn't want it to end.

She bit her bottom lip. Her only reply was the moan that escaped her yet again as he ground his hips into her again. This time, he did it deliberately.

It wasn't subtle at all. In fact, it was overt and absolutely delicious.

Their movements were slow and unhurried as they cherished their closeness to each other.

She turned her head to him and they kissed. Their tongues stroking and tasting the other with care. His kiss was so sweet, so perfect and so desperately needed. He was stoking the sparks that were building inside her to a roaring fire.

His hands moved to her breasts, fiddling with her nipples. When he pinched them, she squirmed slightly, causing him to groan in turn when her arse grinded against his hardness.

In that moment, he took charge and the sheer masculinity of him took her breath away. One of his hands had left her nipple and was dancing down her stomach. His hand found its way to her core and she couldn't speak. Nothing but an inarticulate murmur left her lips and he chuckled sinfully.

His hand had found its target and was softly stroking through her folds. He groaned softly. "So wet for me. For _me_ , not the person the public thinks I am."

She sighed and forced herself to answer through the lustful haze that was encompassing her entirely. "Always."

Her response elicited the most delicious reaction from him, two of his fingers plunged inside of her and her loud moan reverberated around the room. Or maybe she just kept on moaning, she couldn't be certain.

Either way, she didn't care because she couldn't focus on anything but the way he was playing her body like it was a finely tuned instrument.

He took his time, building slowly and surely up to her crescendo, to use a musical term. He was whispering filthy things in her hear all the while. It was incredible, how everything he did almost made her whimper in pleasure.

He stopped suddenly and she whined at the loss of her building pleasure.

In one fluid movement he turned her on her back and he was above her. She saw him clearly for the very first time. He was so close and he was perfect in every way. Everything she could ever want.

He lined himself up and looked to her for confirmation. She nodded eagerly and gasped when the very tip of him nudged at her entrance.

He plunged forward slowly and her gasp gave way to a silent open-mouthed expression before she began whimpering. His eyes widened and he stilled immediately.

There was no doubt about it, he was _massive_.

He grimaced. "Does it hurt?" She didn't answer, she couldn't. "I've been told sometimes that it can be too much. We don't have to continue, I can -"

"Please." She panted.

"Please what? Please stop?" His jaw was tight and he held himself rigidly still.

"I can't -." She couldn't finish her sentence.

"You can't take it. I'm so sorry." He began to withdraw.

"Don't." She tried to pull herself together but he was still withdrawing. "Damn it, come back!" She reached for him and dragged at his buttocks, pulling him fiercely to her until he was seated completely within her.

He groaned and said through clenched teeth. "That's my girl."

She arched her back instinctively as he filled her, coming to meet him as their bodies joined together. She was too full, he was too big and it was absolute perfection.

"Again." She whispered.

He drew back and plunged into her.

And again. And again. Over and over and her mind was lost. Lost to everything but him.

He pumped into her until his breath was nothing but a hoarse rasping sound and sweat covered both of their bodies.

She squeezed him on every pump, meeting him thrust for thrust.

He let out a strangled roar every time she did it. So, she didn't stop.

The heat was licking up and down her legs and she welcomed the wild joy of the feelings and emotions ricocheting through her.

"Please,-" He panted. "I need you to-" Another soft roar. "You have to-"

She didn't need to be told because she was already there. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over and through her body and she cried loudly out into the night.

It didn't stop.

She shook and trembled in his arms as he came deep within her, grunting and shuddering above her. She relished his weight on her.

She clung on to him, digging her fingers into his shoulders, trying to bring her heartbeat back to some semblance of order.

She looked at him with wonder as she came down from her high. From _their_ high.

Her eyes focused on their surroundings for the first time. Their magic was dancing around them in those happy golden swirls and she laughed out of sheer happiness, saying his name softly into his shoulder.

Without warning, she awoke chanting his name over and over with a smile on her face. The clear evidence of her arousal in the wetness and pulsing in her core. She rubbed her thighs together in frustration.

It might just have been a dream but she had never experienced anything like him and by all the gods, she craved more of him.

* * *

In a flat across town, Harry Potter awoke suddenly, panting, and his cock stood proudly out from his body.

The dream felt so real. And what a brilliant dream.

He would be seeing her that very day. He grinned and truly relaxed into the sheets for the first time in what felt like years, sure of his course.

* * *

Astoria tried to get ready but she was rubbish at it for some hellish reason. She, a notoriously put-together woman, didn't have a clue what to wear.

She was so nervous. Nervous about what to say, what to do about Harry and if he even wanted to speak with her again.

She really hoped he would. She couldn't imagine just going back to ignoring him after this. She couldn't believe the impact their healing session had on her. Just thinking about him made her shiver deliciously and the tug she'd felt became even stronger.

It was urging her to go find him.

It was incessant, always there in the background as she got dressed. Like a drum she couldn't get to stop playing.

Just knowing that she was going to see him soon gave her goose bumps.

She looked at the stuff in her closet and made a snap decision before hurrying through her beauty routine.

Now she wasn't that nervous anymore, only giddy with anticipation as she popped away to the apparition point closest to Draco and Hermione's flat.

She knocked on the door, not wanting to intrude by appearing directly in the floo.

There was a scuffle from inside, some hushed whispering and then steps towards the door. She plastered a pleasant smile on her face. The one her mother had taught her when she needed to appear friendly.

But that all changed when _he_ opened the door.

Harry Potter was standing there in all his glory, looking sleep ridden and oh so handsome and her entire body thrilled at the sight. He was grinning from ear to ear. He pushed her back before joining her outside on the stoop and shutting the door behind him.

Her bland friendly smile quickly morphed to a grin matching his own. She was sure that the beginnings of lines on her face were clearly visible but she couldn't bring herself to care because Harry was right there and he finally _saw_ her.

"Hi." Her voice was breathless, even to her own ears.

"Hi Astoria."

They just stood there, looking at each other for an immeasurable length of time. She was mesmerised by his green eyes, so large, like windows into his soul.

For the first time she took him in, all of him. He was taller than her by a couple of inches and he was clearly strong. He wasn't bulky but not too thin either. His seeker-build from school was still there, so she guessed that he still played regularly.

He didn't look as drawn as he had in St. Mungo's. Or as pale. He looked healthier by a fraction. She hoped he would get better and if he wanted, she would love to help him.

But what she really wanted was to begin dating him. She wanted to get to know him properly without other people around them. In fact, she was impatient to get to know him. It seemed inevitable really.

He cleared his throat, bringing them both back to reality. "Uhm, after this lunch, do you want to go for a walk with me? You know, for a coffee or something?"

She couldn't speak so she just nodded, unable to remove the grin from her face.

He grinned. "Excellent."

And then he did something completely unexpected.

He took her hand to bring her inside and at the innocent touch, her entire world shifted slightly on its axis, coming to rest on a new angle that had him at its centre.

She relished the resulting shiver that ran down her spine.

Her stomach lurched and her magic seemed to rejoice. She looked to him and he seemed to have the same reaction. It gave her confidence around him.

She couldn't stop the smirk that formed on her lips.

* * *

Harry was completely gobsmacked. With the healing she had done, his eyes could actually focus and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Astoria Greengrass was spectacularly beautiful. To him, she almost sparkled. It sounded ridiculous but he couldn't describe it any other way.

For the first time, he noticed what she was wearing and he almost choked. She wore a short black leather jacket with a sky-blue top underneath that highlighted her violet eyes. And then skin-tight dark grey jeans with tall black high heeled boots.

He couldn't stop the tide of filthy images flooding his mind when she looked like that. Oh, what he wanted to do to her. With her.

His dream came back to him in full force. She had been so responsive and it was fucking sexy. He wondered if she would be like that in real life and he hoped to Merlin that she would.

He pulled his mind out of the gutter and pulled his girl into the flat.

Just before they turned the corner, she smirked at him. It was a very Slytherin smirk and it stirred his cock to life. "Did you dream about me this morning?" She stopped them, put both her hands on his chest and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Because I dreamt about you Harry and it was delicious."

The way her voice curled around that last word made his jaw drop and a violent shiver ripped through his entire body.

Fuck.

 _She_ was delicious.

* * *

She walked in to find all of them.

Draco and Hermione, Neville and Theo, Blaise and Ginny and Harry followed her into the dining room.

They had all gathered. Every one of them. She assumed that Draco and Hermione had gathered the troops to cross-examine her.

She took a deep breath. She could do this.

She smiled at all of them and Neville especially grinned back. Theo was visibly surprised at the interaction between her and Neville but Neville just winked at his wizard. Theo seemed to accept a later explanation with a slight shrug but she would swear she heard him mutter something like 'fuckity fuck' and 'surprise my arse' under his breath.

Blaise and Ginny stood by the fireplace with their arms around the other's waist. They both smiled at her, she had always had a great relationship with Blaise. He had considered her something like a little sister, which was always fun. And she had been Ginny's healer for a while now which had evolved into a cordial friendship.

Draco and Hermione both smirked knowingly at her hand in Harry's but she refused to remove it. It he didn't move away, she definitely wouldn't either.

This entire situation she was in was mind-boggling and completely out of her control. She couldn't control if all of these people, whom she had peripheral contact with before, would like her

Inwardly she chanted to herself that control wasn't important. Or she tried to. Old habits died hard. But she would try.

Draco seemed to catch on to her being supremely uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "Well, now that we all got a glimpse of the newcomer, I think we should get some lunch."

Harry held her back slightly, letting the others lead the way. He leaned into her briefly. "Breathe. It's gonna be alright." She smiled back tried to let his calm wash over her. Surprisingly, it worked.

The dining room was gorgeous of course and matched the entire massive flat. But she couldn't focus on that. Astoria was the last to sit and they all turned expecting faces to her.

She couldn't help it. She blushed.

Harry stepped in and she was grateful. "Lets get something on our plates, yeah? And bloody well stop staring."

This elicited smiles and chuckles all around and it lightened the mood considerably.

Lunch appeared magically on the table and everyone dug in with cheerful conversations beginning across the dining room. Instantly, Astoria felt a lot more at ease.

Draco was the first to dive in to the reason why they were all there. So very Gryffindor'y. Hermione was clearly rubbing off on him and he looked all the more happy for it. "So Tori, tell them about your research."

Hermione jumped at the chance to talk about it all. "Yes! I've been dying to know, What is it exactly you do Astoria?" She was alight with interest.

She looked around at all of them. In one way or another, they were all significant to what she was doing. They all knew someone who was still broken or had been. She looked specifically to Neville and Ginny for their consent. They both smiled and nodded.

"Well, I am working on detached magic, damage to magical cores and how to heal it. Obscurus is the most leathal form, shaped by years of fear and-or abuse along with the conscious wish to repress your magic, but it has other shapes too. Under attack, it can turn inwards and desperately protect what is left of the person, such as with Neville's parents. It can hinder healing for example, if it is powerful enough, such as with Harry. His magic, and thereby his magical core, will only accept my healing for reasons unknown. He is powerful enough to reject other forms of mental and core healing. And our magical cores are so intrinsic of who we are, that the person and the core cannot be separated. Damage to your magical core means damage to you."

Hermione's eyes were as round as saucers, matching the rest of the people around the table. "Fascinating! And how did you come by such interesting knowledge?"

"The very first person I worked with professionally was Neville." The actual first person had been Harry, of course, but that had not been in kind of professional capacity. "He is a classic example of lack of parents, a domineering grandmother and great uncles who would expose him to any number of insane ideas to encourage his magic to manifest, all of which made him lack confidence in his magic and thereby, his magical core. Thankfully, you and Harry helped him discover it properly during your D.A. meetings. He is actually a rather powerful wizard, only surpassed by Harry himself in my opinion."

Harry scoffed in disbelief but didn't comment. Neville grinned and Theo just gazed at his boyfriend with stars in his eyes, very uncharacteristically of Theo but she reckoned that he had to be very much in love to act like that. They were rather cute in Astoria's opinion.

Ginny didn't want to be left out. "Tell them about me, Tori." She grinned eagerly and Astoria couldn't be happier about her quick recovery.

Astoria smiled widely back at her, knowing that Ginny was completely fine with her divulging some personal information to this contrasting family-like group. "Ginny was a very interesting case from my perspective. She kept her magnificent magic under lock and key, so to speak. Much like an Obscurus, except that she had already had magical training. She endeavoured so hard to please her boyfriends and conform to their version of a perfect pureblood woman, that _she_ was the very reason that her magic was failing her. She did it to herself and by the time she 'woke up' to that reality, she didn't know how to reverse it herself. Luckily, she unbound herself just in time. That's the thing about magic and magical cores. It can be the strangest things that trigger us in one direction or the other."

Harry frowned. "How does that work exactly? How do you know all of this?"

She smiled, showing clearly just how happy she was to be talking about her work. "Well, I approached Neville first to gain his consent to work with his parents. The attack they endured was so powerful that their magic retreated deep within them to protect as much as it could. They haven't gone insane as such but their personalities cannot be retrieved either. They just _are_. It's a very sad case. However, it made me want to study Neville and he consented. I found the traces of his former lack of confidence and we discussed it at length. He's sort of my Patient Zero." She winked at him and Neville smiled back proudly.

Blaise interrupted, him being rather knowledgeable about her research. "There is a but though." His voice was matter-of-fact. A trait that Astoria had come to appreciate more and more in him since they began working together. Being the head of a large company suited him.

Ginny elbowed his ribs in annoyance and he grunted in mock pain. "You spoil-sport. Let her tell her story herself."

Blaise rolled his eyes and immediately got playful. "I object, my storytelling is fucking impeccable. But fine. Do continue." He heaved a heavy sigh and Astoria almost couldn't hold in her laughter at his antics.

They were a rather motley group of people but somehow, they all worked perfectly in unison, all seven of them. It seemed rather dysfunctional but happy. They really made it work.

They joked and laughed at Blaise's expense and he wasn't insulted in the slightest. To her surprise, he was actually preening at being the focus of the group.

Astoria was envious of them. She had never had friends like this. Other than her sister of course but she was certain that it didn't count.

She looked at Harry and warmth filled her entire being. She could only hope to be accepted by them but most of all, she hoped to be accepted by him in the long run.

She had accepted a life with Draco because it had been her duty and Harry Potter had no idea that she'd even existed but now she couldn't be with anyone but him.

* * *

Harry sat there listened to her explanation with wonder.

She was amazing.

He couldn't believe that she had explored magic so deeply and with such enthusiasm. And he couldn't believe that his own magic had deteriorated to the point of him losing much of his memory and even some of his sanity.

The feeling of being underwater had dissipated and he could once again focus properly on the conversation floating around him. He hadn't been able to process this much information for years without getting a dull ache that quickly turned into a migraine.

The conversation had gone round in circles since Blaise's interruption but finally Hermione had put an end to the shenanigans and put the focus back on Astoria.

Now she was explaining about therapy to soothe both the person and the magical core and here she mentioned how Theo's great danes had been a stroke of inspiration to her which she had applied to others. Dog therapy was no longer a spectacle in St. Mungo's anymore apparently. It was still all very experimental but she'd gotten promising results so far.

He couldn't believe that she had amassed so much information in such a short period of time. Even Hermione was practically salivating at the change to expand her own knowledge.

Harry couldn't help but grin. He felt so at ease just because he was near Astoria with his chosen family around him.

Lunch went smoothly and quickly progressed into afternoon coffee and drinks. The latter especially turned them all into nutters in Harry's personal opinion.

And he didn't even drink. In fact, he didn't even _want_ a drink. That was new.

He watched the three couples scattered about the large extravagant lounge that Hermione and Draco called a living room.

Ginny was snuggled up to Blaise who was trying to balance his drink on her knee, much to their amusement and epic failure. Magic made cleaning up so much easier. He was muttering something in her ear and she blushed down to her roots. Harry did _not_ want to know what that was about.

Theo and Neville were playing some sort of game, trying to decide who got dibs on sleeping in the following day. Their three great danes wouldn't accept anything but a morning walk, no matter the state of their two masters. Max, Gus and puppy Sophie had rather clever ways of getting their attention in Harry's personal opinion. It seemed that Neville was winning and Theo turned grumpy for literally a moment before Neville snogged him silly.

Hermione and Draco were eye-fucking each other over the dishes and drinks in the open kitchen. They weren't speaking but Harry had the feeling that he was watching something completely intimate between the two of them. He gagged a little bit, not wanting to know _anything_ about that either.

All of this was in rather stark contrast to him and Astoria. They were sitting beside each other on a sofa at a respectable distance and he was considering his next move, wondering what to do.

Despite the both of them having been rather forward earlier, now he was nervous. He even had clammy hands.

She turned to him with a determined look on her face. "So, you asked me about coffee right? I'd prefer a drink." She smiled that beautiful smile and instantly he was putty in her hands.

He got up. "Anything in particular you'd like?"

She considered it for a moment with her lips pursed and he was floored with flashing images from his dream. He stamped it down, trying desperately to concentrate on everything but her extremely luscious lips. "Firewhiskey on the rocks with a lemon twist please."

He nodded and walked to the bar where Draco was waiting, still trying to dispel the lustful haze she'd put on him.

Draco held out a drink and a glass of water. He looked closer at the drink, it was firewhiskey on the rocks with a lemon twist. Harry frowned in confusion. Draco shrugged arrogantly, the way only he could. "What? So I remember her drink alright. Go fuck yourself Potty."

Harry barked a laugh and took the glasses, grateful not to be spending excess time watching his and Hermione's disturbing interactions.

"No drink for you Harry?" Her voice was like a summer breeze to him. Their hands met briefly and something wonderful zinged through him. From her reaction, she'd felt it too.

He shook his head with a grin. "Nope, healer's orders."

She smirked. "I said no such thing and you know it."

He laughed briefly but then it became sort of awkward again. He didn't know where to begin. He just wanted their life together to start _now_. Why was that so difficult to say? Oh, maybe because he would seem like a fucking nutter if he told her that. For fucks sake.

She cocked her head at him with a pensive expression. "I kinda want to kiss you right now." She said it so casually. As if it was a mere observation.

He choked on his water and tried to splutter out a coherent sentence. "Uhm, okay." He nodded. "Then I guess we should go out on the terrace?"

Astoria stood up, took his hand and lead him away from their friends. The simple gesture made all of the awkwardness disappear. The contact sizzled through him, making him suddenly insatiable for her. This bond-thing was definitely weird.

As soon as they were out of sight, he pinned her to the wall of the flat and buried his face in her neck. He was desperate for closeness to her. He _needed_ her.

She took his head in both of her delicate hands and looked right in his eyes. "Harry…"

He didn't know who closed the distance first but they were snogging as if their lives depended on it. Her lips were just as soft as he'd imagined and dreamt.

He was instantly hard and he couldn't _not_ want to claim her. To complete the bond. Because even though they didn't actually know each other, he _knew_ her. Or his magic knew hers. It was a strange feeling, sort of backwards but perfect and enough all the same.

He took his time, savouring her and the feeling of finally having found his other half. He nibbled on her lower lip, kissed her neck, her cheeks, her eyes, muttered sweet words and held her so close. He couldn't do anything else because she was endlessly exquisite and he was sure that she was made specifically for him.

She tasted like everything he'd ever wanted and when she made that little sound. A whimper of sorts, he was lost to her. Fucking hell, she addled him. But in a deliciously good way.

He released her. Well, not really, he took maybe a quarter of a step back. "What do you want Astoria?" He tried to keep his voice even but it still came out somewhat gruff.

She wanted none of his gentleman-likeness. "I want you naked on a bed Harry. I…-" She moaned audibly when he nudged a leg up between hers, creating friction in her very core.

She clung to him as he apparated her straight into his bedroom and she just smirked that delectable smirk, completely unfazed. "So about that dream…"

* * *

Eventually, they did go on that coffee-date. Which somehow turned into magnificent sex in the alley behind the coffee shop.

They went on a movie-date. She had no idea what the movie had been about but she'd climaxed perfectly twice.

They'd even tried an afternoon tea-date, but the posh hotel in London had honestly too made places for them to fuck and they'd had to confund at least three employees while they'd righted their clothes. Needless to say, they were definitely doing that again.

They were insatiable, both of them. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other and now the main problem they had, was that their muggle electrical appliances in the immediate vicinity went completely haywire when they did more than just a quickie. Somehow, Harry managed to burn them out every time he came and they would collapse together in the darkness, spent and happy, muttering reparo's to the alarm clock on the bedside table.

It was amazing that the movie theatre hadn't short-circuited when they had been there but the hotel had experienced a few electrical issues.

But she did what she had set out to do. She got to know him and it was a joy.

Harry was kind, funny, sweet, a brilliant auror and a good man through and though.

She was utterly and desperately in love with him and luckily, he seemed to love her right back.

* * *

Harry was sitting in the darkness in his flat waiting for her, when the whoosh of the floo announced visitors. He looked at the clock. It was half nine, who came by at this hour?

A moment later his question was answered and he should have fucking known.

His quiet solitude was infested by none other than Draco Malfoy, Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini, who came barging in and made themselves at home immediately. "What's up scar-head?" This from Draco.

He grinned. "Fuck off ferret."

Theo chuckled as he sat in an oversize wingback chair. "I fucking love us, you know? We're fucking amaze-balls guys." He looked around earnestly with shiny eyes. "I fucking love your balls. All of your balls. All eight of our balls!" He actually shouted that last part.

"Ugh, enough with the fucking balls Theo, you're giving me bad memories." Blaise shuddered.

Theo just shrugged, completely unconcerned. "Fuck off, I'm a fucking glorious memory for anyone to have."

Harry wondered why they'd come. Though he probably knew. Possibly. If Astoria had told them.

Draco shook his head in exasperation and looked at him. "We're here for our last night out. Well, _your_ last night out."

Blaise accio'ed two bottles of firewhiskey from somewhere and shook his head sadly. "It's depressing really, that you're just gonna be gone like that."

Harry rolled his eyes. "We're just making it official. We're already bonded so why not? And I'm not gonna be fucking gone. Get your head out of your arse."

Blaise "You've been together, what, a couple of months? And you're already marrying her!"

Harry had no doubts. "Of course I am. Wouldn't you?"

Draco coughed and got everyone's attention. "Now that we're on that subject, it might be a good time to tell you that I've proposed to Hermione. And of course, she said yes."

They all congratulated him and clapped him on the back in that way that blokes do. "She wanted to keep it a secret until after tomorrow. She doesn't want to steal any of the attention from you both but luckily, I have no such qualms."

Theo laughed. "What a fucking saint you are."

Draco grinned mischievously and Harry should have seen it coming. He _really_ should have. "Oh I definitely should be sainted. Especially when I've got Hermione right _there_ , you know, and she is screaming and shouting…-"

Harry held his ears tightly and started blabbering loudly to drown out whatever Draco was trying to tell him.

Blaise was filling their drinks with a chuckle and Theo was doubled over laughing across the chair.

Finally, when the mayhem had stopped, the four of them raised their glasses. Draco began the toast. "To Harry and Astoria, may you always be happy."

"And to us,-" Interjected by Theo. "-may we always be fucking awesome."

Blaise nodded seriously. "That too."

Draco shrugged. "Can't argue much there."

Harry just grinned and lifted his glass to them all, his future wife and his best friends.

* * *

_That's all folks, I hope you enjoyed the ride! I certainly did writing it. If you liked this one, don't forget to check out my other works too._

_Please don't forget to check out the companion stories to this one if you haven't read them yet. In order: Drastic Measures – Excessive situations – Dire circumstances and then of course, Insomniatic complications._

_Let me know what you think in the comments and please stay safe out there!_

_HBSJ_


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